The Christmas Festival of Trees is 36! The history of the Festival of Trees is rich with love and commitment to Talbot Hospice, a caring organization offering end of life care to our area’s residents. One of the early patients in hospice care was Mrs. Robert Fuller. Leslie Ware, her neighbor and friend and Midge Fuller, her daughter-in-law were instrumental in reaching out to hospice. Leslie had seen an article in “Southern Living” magazine about a Festival of Trees in Wilmington, NC. 

After the loss of Virginia Fuller in 1984, Leslie and Midge attended the Wilmington Festival of Trees. Together they founded Friends of Hospice and presented the idea of creating a Festival of Trees fundraiser for Talbot Hospice. The idea was welcomed with open arms and Leslie and Midge spent the next twelve months organizing committees, ordering supplies, speaking to local groups about hospice and recruiting local businesses and friends to support and participate. The result… in Nov. 1986 a beautiful new tradition began in our community – The Festival of Trees.